Card-Tec CA4 Pro

Until this day, I’m not sure exactly what the relation of Mogics is to Card-Tec, so unless corrected, I’m going to assume they’re sister companies. Sister companies that make great practical products.

Mogics started it with their Power Donut/Bagel, which easily got into my KS Hall of Fame. Followed up with Card-Tec’s CS1-Pro and CG1

Now, the company with a really clever logo brings us the CA4 Pro Travel Adaptor / USB charging hub / power brick.

In case it wasn’t obvious, Card-Tec’s entire product line (save for their bags, I guess) are all basically card-shaped stuff. 1 They even have a 10k+ mAh powerbank the size of a credit card – which is very tempting.

From the limited exposure I have with their products (currently three – four counting the Power Bagel) the quality of their stuff seems to be really well built – and more importantly well thought.

So let’s get into the CA4 Pro. The packaging is decent, and it comes with a high quality protective pouch, and a 1m USB type-C to type-C charging cable. We’ve got one universal socket in front and the the various plug configurations at the back which fulfills its purpose as a travel adaptor.

The back has a removable plate that also acts as a holder for the spare fuse. As to why they felt the need to create such a plate is beyond me (it isn’t really necessary IMHO, and just another thing you can lose), but points for allowing it to clean up the look.

Again, its base function/purpose is a travel adaptor, but size-wise – it’s going to be hard to beat the MA1 that came with my Power Bagel – so what exactly does it have that sets it apart?

For one, it’s a 4-port USB charing hub. 3 Type-A ports and 1 Type-C to be specific. It’s one of the few available charging hubs that allows you to charge your type-C device. Off the top of my head it would be comparable to the Anker Powerport+ 5, but despite having one type-A port less, the CA4 Pro still beats it because of it’s size and total wattage output on the PowerDelivery port.

Of course it’s only a matter of time before type-C ports will be just as ubiquitous as type-A, but for now, it’s great to have this practical a product available and on hand.

So we have a multi-device charging hub that also acts as a pass through travel adaptor – all in the general shape of a credit card.

That’s not all though; the power supply in this is enough to charge laptops as well. It can supply up to 60W – which is enough for charging a MacBook or a 13″ MacBook Pro. It has been tested and confirmed to work with the 15″ models as well (although it’ll probably charge slower)

So now we have a travel adaptor, charging hub (that supports USB-C), and laptop power brick in one… all in the shape of a credit card. If anything, it ought to be enough to choose it over the your stock power brick for your everyday use. And it definitely becomes really practical when traveling. 2 I also have a Marble DCS1 which I’ll be reviewing soon. But in a nutshell, the Marble and CA4 Pro two will be my two go-to bricks depending if I just need power, or data access to other devices.

As such, this definitely deserves a spot in my KS Hall of Fame

Specifications

  • 60W total power
  • 45W Type-C PowerDelivery port
  • 15W across 3 USB Type A ports
  • 6.3A fuse included (as well as a spare)
  • Universal Plugs
  • Universal A/C pass-thru Socket

Notes

Notes
1 They even have a 10k+ mAh powerbank the size of a credit card – which is very tempting.
2 I also have a Marble DCS1 which I’ll be reviewing soon. But in a nutshell, the Marble and CA4 Pro two will be my two go-to bricks depending if I just need power, or data access to other devices.

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